My picks stink.

As the worst losing streak of my careers continues, let’s not worry about fake picks that haven’t been entertaining (at least not for me) and get Bert Convy on the biggest story in motorsports: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the concussion crisis in NASCAR.

Win: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
So the #88 won’t win the Sprint Cup. He wasn’t going to anyway. I remember interviewing him a few years back and was amazed at how well he was able to take information, reflect and grow. It’s easy to hide injuries and compete. Earnhardt Jr. did a much tougher thing, and I hope other drivers will take note of that the next time they go into a race at less than 100%. There are 42 other cars out there.

Lose: Talladega
It’s not safe. Ask Dale Jr. Ask Tony Stewart. Ask Ryan Newman. Ask Carl Edwards. NASCAR keeps changing rules on the fly to make the track safer. Nothing is working. The fans are great, but this place shouldn’t host a Chase race.

Draw: NASCAR
One on hand, the notion that the cars are failsafe is junk. On the other hand, what could have happened to many of those drivers without the new safety measures?

NASCAR must find a way to increase safety at Talladega or get it off the schedule. It also needs to create a mechanism where drivers can miss a race without automatically eliminating them from title contention. Teams deserve a mulligan. It would sure make things more interesting.

My picks are interesting for all the wrong reasons. Up just a fake 152 dollars after the Talladega debacle, here are my picks for entertainment and entertainment alone.

20 fake dollars on Jimmie Johnson at 5/1
Six career wins and in need of one to catch Brad Keselowski

15 fake dollars on Brad Keselowski at 8/1
The Miller Man wins at big tracks. Charlotte is a big track.

10 fake dollars on Matt Kenseth at 10/1
Kenseth won at Daytona and Talladgea. Plus he won here last year.

5 fake dollars on Joey Logano at 40/1
I still can’t believe he has the highest finish of any active driver at Charlotte.

Let’s hope Saturday night is safer than Sunday at Talladega. Here’s what The Spread thinks. Enjoy the final night race of the year, and insert random catchphrase here.

Denny Hamlin 5/1
Jimmie Johnson 5/1
Kyle Busch 7/1
Brad Keselowski 8/1
Kasey Kahne 8/1
Jeff Gordon 10/1
Matt Kenseth 10/1
Greg Biffle 12/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 15/1
Carl Edwards 15/1
Tony Stewart 15/1
Clint Bowyer 20/1
Martin Truex Jr 20/1
Kevin Harvick 20/1
Mark Martin 25/1
Joey Logano 40/1
Kurt Busch 75/1
Ryan Newman 75/1
Marcos Ambrose 100/1
Sam Hornish Jr 100/1
Ricky Stenhouse 100/1
Paul Menard 200/1
Jeff Burton 200/1
Juan Montoya 300/1
Trevor Bayne 300/1
Aric Almirola 300/1
Regan Smith 300/1
Bobby Labonte 300/1
Jamie McMurray 300/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50/1